A Witch's Escape
by M.Waisele
Summary: She had everything. And then suddenly, nothing at all. Kara's mother sends her to live with her uncle, terrified of what her daughter had become. A world away from the only home she had ever known, will La Push finally heal her?
1. Chapter 1

The classroom door opened slowly, almost hesitantly. Everyone in the room, teacher included, turned to see who would come through. It was first period Math and Mr. Anderson had handed out a pop quiz. This meant that surprisingly, for once, the room was an unnatural quiet. Quiet enough, in fact, to hear the door opening.

A girl stepped in, dark hair, brown eyes. She looked up to see the class staring at her and her cheeks; an almost Asian yellow, turned pink. The boys looked at each other, exchanging glances and a girl's voice giggled. Mr. Anderson cleared his throat, glaring at his students. "You have five more minutes. I'd suggest you use it wisely."

Turning back to the girl, he walked forward.

The girl met him halfway, something that was almost a smile on her lips. In her hand, she held a letter. Mr. Anderson could tell, even from that far away, that it was printed on the school letterhead.

New student, he figured lazily.

"I'm Ka…" he waved her shut and pointed to a chair at the back. "The class is having a test. You can go sit there until it's over."

Kara's mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to say something else and a small flare of defiance glinted in her eye. But the flame was quelled and she nodded, face turning again to her sneakered feet.

She shuffled noiselessly through the aisle, face burning even hotter. When she got to the chair at the back, she sat down and put her books – brand new and unused, on the table. The classroom was not so large, but it was big enough not to seem crowded with thirty students sitting in it. There were large windows on the left and a board up front that the teacher had scrawled 'SILENCE' across. The teacher's table, made of cheap wood and varnished was set between the board and the first row of students.

Everyone around her, except Mr. Anderson, was Native American. Most of the boys had silky long black hair that they either had in a single plait down their backs or tied haphazardly at the nape of their necks. Kara focused on this for a while, admiring the shininess and rich darkness that covered her colleagues' heads. The girls too had the same rich black cascading around their faces like black halos, but some had chosen for a more modern cut. The rest of the boys had cut their hair to almost military style neatness. The straight planes on their faces, symmetrical and proud, screamed beauty and grace; Kara had never felt so ugly in her whole entire life.

On the walls were posters of people, places, things that Kara had never heard of before. But she recognized one with Calculus formulas on it and she smiled. She'd always loved Math. It comforted her of some sort – a link to the home that she'd been forced to leave behind and a family that she'd loved.

Suddenly, unconsciously, her chest tightened and her eyes started to burn. She thought of her home, her mother, of the tearful farewell and also, of her father. It had been too long since her mind could conjure up a decent memory of him again. He was smiling, laughing… always laughing.

Kara's throat choked with the sadness but she beat it back down. A brand new start her Uncle had told her when he'd picked her up from the airport.

_A brand new start._

With all her heart and soul, Kara sincerely wished that he was right.

Pierce Anderson peered through his glasses, glaring at all the students around him. His thin mouth was turned in a permanent frown and the lines on his forehead were forever creased. Every now and then, the frown would morph into a grimace, but when it did, it was accompanied with a very long, very loud sigh.

"Pens down," he said, standing up. There were a few groans, but everyone did as they were asked. Pens hit the desks with an echoing 'clink' and some of the students sighed. Finally, it was over. In the middle row at his chair, Jacob Black's head was still bowed, pencil tapping the side of the desk; an incessantly annoying rhythm. Mr. Anderson turned toward him, eyes angry.

"Mr. Black, we would appreciate not having to hear your very limited musical skills."

Jacob's head snapped up and he glowered. _What had he just said?!_ The anger washed in, so suddenly, without any conscious thought, and Jacob's fists started to shake. _I'd like to see how much you'd appreciate not being killed…_the boy started to stand, focused now entirely on the teacher who had turned his back. The length of his spine, stretching to achieve his full height, was quivering too.

A scream broke through the thick haze in his mind, and Jacob blinked. Only, it wasn't verbally spoken, Embry's voice echoed in his thoughts. _Get a grip Jake. Not here, not now. Are you fucking crazy?_

Jacob blinked again, anger and hurt fighting for control. His fists were still shaking but he closed his eyes and sat back down.

_Get a grip, get a grip, get a grip…_Embry's voice kept saying, over and over.

_Bella…_ he kept thinking, bowing his head again. _Bella … Bella … Bella …_the name swam around his head like an unwanted sickness. How much he wished he could stop thinking about her!

Jacob shook his head, eyes closed. He sank into the chair, imagining Embry's focus on him, even as he sat in the next classroom, for English.

_Stop with this Bella shit, Jacob. It's not going to make it any easier._

Lips turned down at the corners, stubborn. _Get out of my mind, Embry. _

The other boy hesitated for a second, and then sighed, _Okay, but if you're going to be an ass and phase, do it after fucking Math class, alright?_

"Just so you know bro, what happened back there was totally uncool," Embry Call complained, munching on a piece of pizza. Jacob looked up at him, expressionless. They were seated in the middle of the school cafeteria, two large boxes of pizza before each of them. The ones on Embry's side of the table were both empty. "And this whole silence thing you have going on … it's not working for you. Bella isn't going to come back to you – live that fact, breathe it and understand it."

Jacob said nothing, he just alternated staring at Embry and the pizza. After a single slice he wasn't even hungry any more. And that in itself was saying a heck of a lot. Embry watched him for a few more seconds then shook his head. "This is getting crazy. You know what Sam is going to say when we meet up this afternoon."

Jacob scowled. "I don't exactly care what Sam says. Or you for that matter. I don't understand why you couldn't just let me go when you could. Instead of all these lectures I keep getting every time I _breathe_wrong."

Embry stopped chewing for a second and cocked his head. "You mean let you run. Real brave of you by the way." The sarcasm in his tone brought another flash of anger from his table partner. Jake's fists started to shake. "I wasn't running. I was recovering."

His head clouded and he saw her again – _God, was she really going to marry that bloodsucking Cullen?_The wave came again, unbidden. Embry shot him a warning look. "If you lose it in here Jake, there's a lot more than me who's going to get hurt."

_Get a hold of yourself!_Jacob shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs and brought a fist to his forehead. Angry at himself now. Around them, students were moving to their tables, lunch trays in hand, laughing and talking. The room was filled with the sound of teenage joy and human innocence. There was no way they were worried about anything other than a hang nail, these people.

Suddenly, Embry's eyes shot up and refocused behind Jacob. "Who's that?" he breathed, leaning forward. His dark eyebrows had risen in interest.

Jacob, as much as he hated it, was momentarily distracted. He turned to see a tall, slender girl enter the cafeteria. Almost every sound in the room came to a halt when she did. La Push Reservation High School never, at once in its history, boasted a student population of more than a hundred. And with almost half of that population close family friends, related or going out, any new comer would be immediately noticed. Jacob and Embry's dark eyes took in her instant blush, bowed head and black hair. Even if their minds hadn't been connected, their thoughts would still have been evident on their faces.

_Who is __**that**__?_

Embry was the first to break the silence. "Dibs!" he said, and for the first time in a long time, Jacob burst out laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara swung the backpack over her right shoulder; head bowed, and trudged through the slippery car park to where her Uncle Sol was waiting. It had been a whole month, one whole month since she d first arrived and not one day had gone by when she felt the animosity the other students had for her.

It wasn't that they were out rightly unpleasant, they weren't that at all. They were polite, sometimes gentle but nothing more. There was no extended hand of friendship; no one asked her if she needed any help. During classes where they had lab, she sat at a table, alone. She was the only student that Mr. Anderson allowed to work by herself during his group discussions , mostly because she did better than everyone else in Math.

Kara had never fancied herself popular at her old school, in fact, she'd leaned more towards the invisible and dorky . But she d had her friends; Sera, Lia and Meri. They'd had their fights, ups and downs but still they d been her friends. And she hadn't been alone.

_Like she was now._

She missed her old school like an addict would crave a quick fix. The school stuff was easy; half the things they were learning here she'd already covered anyway. English and Shakespeare was being a pain, but he'd been a pain back home too.

_Ah home..._Kara envisioned the sun, the heat and the mangoes. Mangoes that she could pick from a tree wash and put straight into her mouth. Mangoes that weren't sprayed with pesticide and genetically mutated to look beautiful but taste like crap, like the ones her Uncle Sol bought from the supermarkets. Everything about this place was different, and this thought made her lonelier.

Uncle Sol saw her slumped frame, walking against the slight drizzle in only a thin sweater and jeans and tooted the car horn. He loved his niece, with an intensity that was mind boggling. She was his older sister's kid, and with her round face, and almond shaped eyes, an exact replica of her mother. Sol could see in Kara that same defiance Liana had once had; that same stubborn pride. It was in her eyes, floating around in those dark depths. Only, unlike Liana, Kara had the greatest amount of control and discipline Sol had ever seen on anyone before. And he was an American Marine.

She bit her lip every time her mouth opened to say something in a conversation, and when she saw something that he knew she wouldn't like, she looked away and nodded. Kara took things lying down, never fought and agreed with him on whatever he said. She was a good girl, she washed, cleaned, cooked at home and she scored perfect 4.0 s. Whatever the reason Liana had begged Sol to let her youngest daughter live with him, he didn't see it.

When he'd first seen her at the airport, withdrawn and quiet, all those impressions he'd had of her vanished. Sol had thought she'd have tattoos everywhere on her body and purple hair. In contrast, she was a very average, very pretty looking girl. And the clothes that she d brought with her hadn't suited the weather here at La Push at all. Probably thinking that it would be hot and sunny here, like the islands, Kara had packed mostly cargo pants, sweats and thin cotton shirts. Sol smiled when she got into the front seat and revved up the engine to his old Hyundai. An idea hit him straight between the eyes.

"Hey, how do you feel about a little shopping?"

Kara looked at him and shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Port Angeles had never been one of Sol's favorites, but it had been a Friday afternoon and he hadn't planned the shopping spree so a trip to Seattle was definitely out of the picture. Pulling the black four wheel drive into a parking space, he put it into park and unbuckled his seat belt. Kara watched him for a few minutes, then mirrored his actions and got out of the truck.

"I was thinking that maybe you could get yourself some decent clothes," he said, trying to make conversation. Whenever he was around her, Sol had this desperate urge to talk to her, to get her to talk back. But on a good day, all he'd ever get for his efforts was a soft yes, or a smile.

Kara turned to him, and looked down at the clothes that she had on. A purple sweater, dry now from the heater in the truck, and a black pair of jeans...Pretty boring, but clothes nonetheless. She saw nothing wrong with what she wore.

"Is there...?" she started but Sol cut her off with a wave. "No, there's nothing wrong with your fashion sense, in any way. It's just that, well, it would be nice to see you warm and properly dressed for the rain."

"Oh."

"Yes," Sol fished into his back pocket, pulled out a wallet and handed her two fifties. "I want you to get yourself something. Raincoat, gum boots, new sneakers, anything. You have two hours." Kara's mouth opened, but she said nothing. Taking the money, she watched as he turned and started to walk in another direction.

"But, where are you going?" she asked, panicking. She didn't mean to sound like a baby but, seriously? She was going to get lost between the car park and the road. Sol turned sharply, alarmed at the tone of her voice. "I'll be at that Cafe right there, waiting for you..." he put an arm around her shoulders and turned her towards a row of neatly arranged shops. From a distance, they could see a bright pink sign that said Jeans' Coffees . He felt her nod. "The clothes' shops are that way," another turn and she was facing a street, then another row of shops. "You can see the truck from wherever you go, that's why I parked here. When you're done, come back to the truck, then come get me at the cafe, kay?" Another nod.

And with that, Sol was off and Kara stood there, suddenly nervous.

Shopping... she hated shopping. All her clothes Jada and Nadia had bought for her, or her mother. She'd been more into saving up for the latest video game. A groan and a sigh.

_Okay, so where were these shops again?_

Jacob followed Emily grudgingly, dozens of shopping and boutique bags in both his hands. The guys had thought it a fair enough punishment that he went shopping with Emily. Sam had bitten his ear off about almost phasing in class the month before, and from now on, he was walking on very thin ice.

Emily was the only one who actually cut him some slack, defending him when the others had gotten too mean about Bella. "You'll get over her soon enough, Jake," she'd told him one day after breakfast, and the pack had gone out. He d been grounded, Sam hesitant to take him because his thoughts would distract the others from the task at hand.

There had been another vampire attack, senseless deaths caused. The pack was very eager to get this one killed and the job done. It messed up your social life when you were too busy being a gigantic wolf to make and keep a date with your girlfriend.

So while the pack was out hunting, little old Jake was busy helping Emily restock on the clothes that almost all of them had destroyed phasing. Boxes of sneakers, dozens of jean shorts and shirts filled the bags he held, a third of them his. He'd done way too much unplanned phasing to last them a life time.

Suddenly, from up ahead, Jacob saw her.

It was her lithe form he noticed first, darting across the street at a place where she wasn't supposed to cross. Cars stopped and honked, drivers shouted at her. Emily noticed the commotion and looked too. She bit back a laugh. "Is she crazy? She's going to get herself killed."

Jacob watched her for a few more seconds before shaking his head.

"She goes to our school," he said flatly.

Emily turned to him, and then back to the girl, who had now reached their side of the road in one piece. She was rubbing the back of an ear, embarrassed.

"Oh. Is she new?"

Jake nodded. "She came in about a month ago. I don't really know her name, though."

Oh but he did, Embry had been talking about her the whole time they were in school. Embry had Biology with her, Embry had English with her, Embry couldn't wait to fuck her. And so obviously, during one of his sulking moments at lunch, Embry had told him her name. It's Kara he'd said, a stupid grin on his face. Jacob had looked up and followed his gaze to where the girl was now sitting.

"What?"

"It's Kara. Her name, its Kara." Jacob had bitten back a smart retort and gone back to eating his burger.

"Embry has a crush on her," Jacob told Emily, shrugging when she turned to him with a gasp.

"What?"

"He does. All he talks about is her, when he's not talking about the hunt. I think it's pathetic," he spat the last word out with a little more force than necessary.

Emily's face, the left side which hadn't been ruined all those years ago, was perfectly composed when she looked up at him.

"That's funny. That's exactly what your brothers say when they talk about you sulking over Bella Swan."

And Jacob's mouth shut with enough force to break open a tin can.

_Ouch._

They walked on in silence, broken only when Emily would stop and hmm at something in a store window. Jacob dropped his shoulders and sulked again.

_That should teach me a lesson to talk._

Kara ran her fingers through the clothes on the rack, undecided. This was exactly why she hated shopping. She could never make up her mind. She always liked something, but she liked something else better. And then the previous something would be cheaper, but she'd end up buying the more expensive something instead. Such indulgence on the purchase of said something would leave her mourning for days. She should have just kept that money and bought the new Grand Theft Auto game version.

Finally, she held up a hanger that held a nice woolen, brown cardigan on it. It was a dark brown, the color, and knitted, so Kara knew that it was going to look pretty on her. The arms were too long when she tried it on in the dressing room, until she realized that they were supposed to be too long. There were several pants she had picked out. A pair of sweats, two pairs of black jeans, and a (she couldn't help it) pair of cargo pants. Altogether, her mental calculations told her that she just about had enough change for another pair of sneakers and a good jacket.

Kara was paying for her things at the counter when a woman, black hair falling over the right side of her face, walked in. Behind her was a very tall, very big Indian boy. Kara turned, recognizing instantly the boy's scowl. He was from the reservation, from La Push. Hesitantly, her mouth stretched into a smile and she gave a small wave. The boy, surly, looked at her and even though she thought he was going to ignore her, nodded his acknowledgement. She turned, gathered her bags off the counter and walked quickly out of the shop.

Kara didn't mean to get too big headed about it, but someone had actually acknowledged her. Someone from school. And the fact that he hadn't thought her a total stranger who had gone nuts, told her that they didn't _all_find her weird, or whatever it was that repelled them from her.

Smiling again, she walked to the shoe shop, hoping very, very much, that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't completely cursed. That what her mother had told her back home was just another stupid myth.

Kara prayed that America was going to heal her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why don't you just go up to her and talk to her?" This was Paul Lahote, perched on one end of a dried out log. He wore a pair of faded jeans that hung low off his hips and a pair of sneakers. Despite the chill of the oncoming storm, he was shirtless. Before him, Embry Call, Jacob Black and Quil Ateara sat in varying positions on the damp sand. Quill was whittling a small stick when he looked up.

"What's this about?"

Jake gave a snort. _Embry's new crush._

Quil raised his eyebrows and turned to a blushing Embry.

"A new crush? Any chance she might be your imprint?"

Jake snorted again. "Doubt it. She's not one of ours." And with that Embry's reddening cheeks turned a shade darker.

"Shut up, Black," the boy hissed.

Paul chuckled, "Blushing, are you? You really are pathetic."

Embry turned his scowl to Lahote. "I am _not_blushing. I just don't like it when my private life is discussed in the open like this."

Jake rolled his eyes crossed his arms across his broad chest. His outfit more or less mirrored the rest of the guys - shirtless, sneakers and jeans.

Quil shrugged. _I get what you mean, Call._

Embry threw him a thankful look. "Thanks, bro."

"Wait, not one of ours? What's that supposed to mean?"

Jake had just about opened his mouth to reply when their collective thoughts merged with a very grumpy Leah Clearwater. She was approaching the group, her bare feet partly submerged in the waves that lapped upon the dark sands.

_I can't fucking believe I have to run with him again tonight!_

As if on cue, the boys turned to face her.

_You're not welcome here, Clearwater. Piss-off,_Paul grumbled.

Leah didn't slow down. _Last I checked, I was a part of this pack too._

Jake groaned, _We're not interested in whatever it is you have going on in your prissy life, Leah. Go away._

Leah wrapped her arms around herself and frowned. For a very small second, her shoulders sagged forward and slumped. The guys took in the way her feet slowed in their walk and the growing frown on her face. Then she jutted her chin forward and straightened.

She was within hearing distance now, just a few meters out from their position. Embry felt the tiniest string of sympathy snap when he heard the quiver in her voice.

"I didn't ask to be a freak. Good to see that you have my back."

Paul was just as quick with a come back. "We didn't ask to have a bitch in our pack, either."

When Leah stopped moving altogether, her entire body pulsing with the threads of the change running through her, the guys snorted and turned back to their light banter.

A couple of feet away, a gray wolf trotted back in to the woods.

Leah walked for what seemed like hours. Her large eyes were filled with tears and her dark nose moist with those that already fallen. While her conscious mind refused to admit to it, Leah was hurt.

Being the only female, so far, in the Quileute pack was a lonely life sentence. She had thought little of the stories Billy Black wove upon his wheelchair - legends and myths that intertwined like shadows with the smoke that curled from the bonfires that warmed their tribal meetings. The only reason she'd ever gone to those tribal meetings had been her father - ever so determined to keep Seth and her within his silly little council - and, in a time a long ago, Sam.

When Leah lost her father, a part of her had honestly thought she'd die with him. It had hurt so much that any thought she had of him had been accompanied by a squeezing pain that echoed through her entire being. When she realized that she'd now lost two of the three men she loved, the ache turned in a burn that coursed through her until every single nerve ending she possessed threatened to spill out of her skin and into the world around her.

She felt as if she was falling apart, every single day for a time that felt like an eternity. Then she phased and while the pain dulled and weakened in some areas, they sharpened in a million others.

Her phasing opened the link that members of the Quileute pack had. Even though such a mental connection was useful when on a run, they did little to protect her still smarting wounds from Sam Uley and his guilt slash love slash frustration.

Leah knew that the pack didn't appreciate the unwelcome tension her presence brought whenever she and Sam shared a link, or a run. They adored Emily, and loved Sam.

The only person they could blame without any thought of disloyalty was her and while she'd accepted her fate as pack punching bag with little more than a disgruntled growl, Leah's patience was beginning to wear thin.

It had been almost three months now, and not one of the guys would let her gain a little foot hold in the pack's ranks. Every time she thought she'd made a friend - a warm smile, a place kept for her around the bonfire, they closed her off and she was rudely thrust back outside the circle. It was frustrating, and frankly, Leah was getting tired of it all.

_Maybe if she just ran away, like Jake had when that Bella Swan left him?_

The thought gave her some comfort. A chosen solitude sounded much better than a forced one any ways. Before she knew it, her paws had taken her across the paved highway that snaked through Hoh forest, connecting La Push and Forks, and into the strip of foliage that bordered the line between Cullen and Quileute territories.

Running would fix a lot of problems, the she-wolf figured lazily. She'd be out of Sam's hair, and the packs', and she'd be able to sort through herself alone. Maybe alone, Leah would finally be able to heal. A small sliver of hope surged through her. It did look like a good a prospect; running alone, feeling the wind in her air, finally being free of the bonds that bound her to La Push. All she needed was a little time, Leah reasoned, just some time to herself. Her family needn't worry too much. She could send word from the first speck of civilisation she'd come across.

_What about vampires?_

A snarl stretched the wolf's lips. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, Leah's priority was to get away, and fast. The pack had discovered almost instantly that Jake had run, and ever the responsible Alpha, Sam had sent wolves after him. A bitter sweet question posed itself: Would he do the same for her?

_Probably not,_Leah thought; she couldn't help the twinge of hurt at the edge of that realization. Didn't matter though, keeping peace with the Alpha and his pack was certainly not a top priority. It would probably be more of a relief for them, than a loss, if she ran.

A voice, as intrusive as it was welcome, rushed through her mind. Sam Uley, dominant and demanding, clicked his mind to hers as easily as one would a lock and key.

**_STOP! _**His words were laced with a power that, as a wolf of his pack, she was programmed to respond to.

Reluctantly, her quick trot slowed down to a crawl. Even though her Alpha's orders had been to come to a complete stop, she'd be damned if she let him talk her out of this.

_As if he would even want to,_ Leah snapped at herself bitterly. _Don't get too ahead of yourself, Leah._

**_I SAID STOP! _**Sam's voice was close enough that Leah could catch his scent now.

It was a long moment before she stopped completely. Turning slowly, Leah saw the dark shape just beyond the trees. Sam stood tall and proud, muscle and sinew rippling through the Alpha, ready to pounce. He was growling.

_Where are you going? You dare break the treaty over the past?_

Leah trembled. _I'm not breaking anything. I just need to clear my head. _It took all she had to keep her tone calm and even.

Sam frowned.

_I'd rather that you cleared your head closer this side._

_I'm not wanted there..._the thought seeped through. Snapping her jaws, Leah hoped he hadn't noticed.

_Leah... _the gentleness in his voice told her that he had.

_I'm sure the guys didn't mean whatever it was that they said._

Leah grumbled, _You didn't __**hear**__ what it was that they said._

_I'll talk to them. This needs to stop._

_NO! _Leah shot to her paws. Then, she remembered her place. Settling back on her haunches, the gray wolf whined.

_I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Sammy. _The nickname had come unconsciously, really, but the mention of it alone made Sam squirm.

He would forever be sorry for the pain that he had caused Leah, but imprinting on Emily had been beyond his control. He knew that Leah knew this, and he knew that she understood... but having to turn off all that history like a switch was impossible. And history, so much history, was exactly what he and Leah had.

The gray wolf caught his reaction. Stammering, she pulled her eyes to the ground. _I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..._

_I'll give you an hour, Leah. If you're not back on our lands by then, I'm sending one of the guys after you._

Leah nodded her understanding and got to her feet. It was only once Sam had turned his back and moved further in to Hoh forest that she realized what she finally had to do.

Pack or no pack, Leah Clearwater was going to run.


End file.
